Trent Grisham shouldn’t be viewed as redundant piece in Yankees-Juan Soto trade
Yes, they acquired *another* left-handed outfielder.
When the Yankees finalized their acquisition of Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres last Wednesday night, the trade made instant headlines. The New York Post featured a photoshopped image of Soto in a Yankees uniform on their back cover, and every national outlet from ESPN to The Athletic soon had coverage up about the Yankees newest superstar.
Lost in the shuffle, however, was the other outfielder that San Diego sent to the Bronx in that seven-player deal. Trent Grisham, a former top-100 prospect with two years of team control would also be heading east.
In spite of the shadow cast over him, Grisham should be seen as more than just a throw-in. He’s coming off of two consecutive down offensive seasons, but he’s just two years removed from being an above average offensive player, and three years removed from being seen as the Padres’ center fielder of the future.
Grisham’s calling card has always been his elite defense in center field, which, before the Yankees acquired Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox, would have made him a natural fit on the roster while they awaited the return of Jasson Dominguez. Now, with Verdugo expected to start in left field and Soto in right, the Yankees are forced to run Aaron Judge out in center field, relegating Grisham to a bench role despite providing the best defensive upside out of their center field options.
Barring injuries to starters between now and Opening Day, this will be the first time since his rookie year that Grisham will not enter the season as his team’s starting center fielder. He played in 59 of 60 games during the shortened 2020 season, 132 during an injury-shortened 2021 campaign, and over 150 in each of the past two years.
The fact that Grisham continued to receive tons of playing time for a competitive Padres team even as he struggled at the plate speaks volumes of what the Padres believed about his true capabilities. Of course, his defense in center field was still valuable to have on a daily basis, but even as he failed to hit, Grisham continued to walk at an impressive clip, setting a career-high walk rate of 13.5% in 2023. That was the 14th-best mark out of qualified batters, and would’ve been the best out of qualified Yankees by nearly three percentage points.
